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JVi, 


MASTERPIECES 
IN  COLOUR 

EDITED  BY  - - 
M.  HENRY  ROUJON 


VERONESE 

(1528-1588) 


IN  THE  SAME  SEBIES 


REYNOLDS 

VELASQUEZ 

GREUZE 

TURNER 

BOTTICELLI 

ROMNEY 

REMBRANDT 

BELLINI 

FRA  ANGELICO 

ROSSETTI 

RAPHAEL 

LEIGHTON 

HOLMAN  HUNT 

TITIAN 

MILLAIS 

LUINI 

FRANZ  HALS 
CARLO  DOLCI 
GAINSBOROUGH 
TINTORETTO 
VAN  DYCK 
DA  VINCI 
WHISTLER 
RUBENS 
BOUCHER 

MANTEGNA 


HOLBEIN 

BURNE-JONES 

LE  BRUN 

CHARDIN 

MILLET 

RAEBURN 

SARGENT 

CONSTABLE 

MEMLING 

FRAGONARD 

DURER 

LAWRENCE 

HOGARTH 

WATTEAU 

MURILLO 

WATTS 

INGRES 

COROT 

DELACROIX 

FRA  LIPPO  LIPPI 

PUVIS  DE  CHAVANNES 

MEISSONIER 

GEROME 

VERONESE 

VAN  EYCK 


IN  PREPARATION 


FROMENTIN 


PERUGiNO 


PLATE  I.  — JUPITER  DESTROYING  THE  VICES 
(In  the  Musee  du  Louvre) 

This  large  composition  shows  a method  rarely  employed  by 
Veronese.  The  great  imaginative  artist  here  tried  his  hand  at 
the  more  vigorous  school  of  painting,  and  with  complete  suc- 
cess. It  is  especially  admired  for  certain  remarkable  effects  of 
foreshortening.  This  picture,  painted  for  the  Ducal  Palace,  served 
as  a ceiling  decoration  in  Louis  XIVth’s  chamber  at  Versailles, 
until  it  was  finally  transferred  to  the  Louvre. 


iHRE'LAFITTE  & GIF  dadiq 


• i'.  C.  -'r' 


. ■ j: 


VERONESE 

BY  FRANQOIS  CRASTRE 

TRANSLATED  FROM  THE  FRENCH 
BY  FREDERIC  TABER  COOPER 

WITH  EIGHT  FACSIMILE 
REPRODUCTIONS  IN  COLOUR 


FREDERICK  A.  STOKES  COMPANY 
NEW  YORK  — PUBLISHERS 


COPYRIGHT,  rgii,  BY 
FREDERICK  A.  STOKES  COMPANY 


THR-rLIMPTOI*»PRKSS 
[ W • D .O] 

NORWOOD*MASS*U«S'A 


CONTENTS 


Introduction  .... 

• 

Page 

. II 

The  First  Years 

• 

. i6 

The  Sojourn  in  Venice  . 

• 

. 27 

The  Wedding  at  Cana 

• 

. 38 

Veronese  and  the  Inquisition 

4 

• 47 

The  Journey  to  Rome 

• 

• 52 

The  Return  to  Venice 

• 

• 53 

The  Decoration  of  the  Ducal  Palace 

• 

* 57 

The  Last  Years 

. . 

• 

. 65 

vii 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS 

Plate 


I. 

Jupiter  Destroying  the  Vices 

In  the  Musee  du  Louvre 

• 

Frontispiece 

XI. 

The  Disciples  at  Emmaus 

In  the  Musee  du  Louvre 

• 

. 14 

III. 

The  Holy  Family 

In  the  Musee  du  Louvre 

• 

. 24 

IV. 

The  Wedding  at  Cana 

In  the  Musee  du  Louvre 

0 

• 34 

V. 

The  Family  of  Darius 

In  the  National  Gallery,  London 

• 

. . 40 

VI. 

Calvary 

In  the  Musee  du  Louvre 

• 

. . 50 

VII. 

The  Marriage  of  St.  Catherine  . 

• 

. . 60 

In  the  Accademia  delle  Belle  Arti,  Venice 


VIII 


The  Vision  of  St.  Helena  . 

In  the  National  Gallery,  London 


70 


,r 


f 


If 


^ * 

,{ 

i 


INTRODUCTION 

IT  has  been  said  of  Veronese  that  he  was  the  most 
absurd  and  the  most  adorable  of  the  great  paint- 
ers. Paradoxical  as  it  sounds,  this  judgment  is 
perfectly  true.  Absurd,  Veronese  undoubtedly  was, 
in  his  disdain  of  logic  and  common  sense,  in  his 
complete  indifference  to  historic  truth  and  school  tradi- 
tions, and  in  his  anachronistic  habit  of  garbing  antiq- 


II 


12  VERONESE 

uity  in  modern  raiment.  “ I paint  my  pictures,”  he 
said,  “ without  taking  these  matters  into  consideration, 
and  I allow  myself  the  same  license  which  is  granted 
to  poets  and  to  fools.”  And  it  is  precisely  his  riotous 
fantasy,  his  naive  self-confidence,  his  own  peculiar 
way  of  understanding  mythology  and  religion  that 
have  made  him  the  adorable  artist  whose  glory  has 
been  consecrated  by  the  centuries. 

Thanks  to  the  rare  power  of  his  genius,  the  most 
audacious  improbabilities  vanish  beneath  the  magic 
adornments  with  which  he  covers  them,  and  it  hardly 
occurs  to  one  to  notice  his  glaring  historical  errors  or 
the  superficialities  of  his  pictorial  conceptions  in  the 
continual  delight  inspired  by  the  sense  of  concentrated 
life  in  his  characters,  the  splendour  of  his  colouring, 
the  caressing  charm  of  his  draperies,  the  brilliance  of 
his  skies,  and  the  impression  of  youth  and  of  joy  that 
radiates  from  his  work.  Veronese  was  neither  a 
thinker  nor  an  historian,  nor  a moralist;  he  was  quite 
simply  a painter,  but  he  was  a very  great  one.  If  his 
preference  is  for  the  joyous  scenes  of  life,  that  is  be- 
cause life  treated  him  indulgently  from  his  earliest 


PLATE  II.  — THE  DISCIPLES  AT  EMMAUS 
(In  the  Musee  du  Louvre) 

This  biblical  scene,  as  treated  by  Veronese,  in  no  wise  resem- 
bles the  same  subject  as  treated  by  the  Primitives  or  by  Rem- 
brandt. The  Venetian  Master  does  not  trouble  himself  about 
tradition ; for  him,  this  Feast  is  simply  an  opportunity  for  a 
beautiful  picture,  brilliant  in  colour,  and  embellished  with  rich 
accessories  and  architectural  drawing. 


VERONESE  15 

years;  if  he  delights  in  giving  to  his  pictures  a sump- 
tuous setting,  in  which  silk,  brocades  and  precious  vases 
abound,  it  is  because  he  acquired  a taste  for  these 
things  in  that  matchless  Venice  of  the  sixteenth  cen- 
tury, marvellous  treasury  of  sun-bathed,  gaily  be- 
decked palaces,  wherein  all  the  opulence  of  the  East 
had  been  brought  together.  What  these  paintings  of 
Veronese  reproduce  for  us  are  the  thick,  rich  carpets 
of  Smyrna,  newly  unladen  from  Musselman  feluccas^ 
monkeys  imported  from  tropic  islands,  greyhounds 
brought  from  Asia,  and  negro  pages  purchased  on  the 
Riva  dei  Schiavoni,  the  Quay  of  the  Slaves,  to  bear 
the  trains  of  the  patrician  beauties  of  Venice.  But, 
above  all,  one  finds  in  them  Venice  herself,  Venice 
the  Glorious,  queen  of  the  sea,  Venice  sated  with  gold 
and  lavish  of  it,  sowing  her  lagunes  broadcast  with 
palaces,  and  the  robes  of  her  women  with  diamonds. 
More  truly  than  Titian  or  Tintoretto,  Veronese  is  the 
chosen  painter  of  the  Most  Serene  Republic.  He  not 
only  decorated  the  ceilings  of  her  palaces  and  the 
walls  of  her  churches:  but  he  took  the  city  of  his 
adoption  as  the  setting  for  all  his  compositions;  it  is 


i6  VERONESE 

at  Venice  that  the  Feast  at  the  House  of  Simon  the 
Pharisee,  the  Feast  at  the  House  of  Levi  take  place; 
it  is  in  Venetian  surroundings  that  Jesus  presides  over 
the  Wedding  Feast  at  Cana, 

One  can  understand  how  the  painters  of  the  Ve- 
netian school,  nurtured  in  the  dazzling  and  joyous 
light  of  the  sea-bom  city,  transferred  to  their  palette 
that  vibrant  colour  with  which  their  artist  eyes  were 
filled;  nor  is  it  surprising  that  Veronese,  passionately 
enamoured  of  Venice,  achieved,  through  his  wish  to 
glorify  her,  that  magnificence  of  colour  and  of  expres- 
sion which  remains  his  distinctive  mark. 

THE  FIRST  YEARS 

•Nevertheless,  Veronese  was  not  a native  of  Venice 
but  of  Verona,  as  is  indicated  by  the  surname  that 
was  bestowed  upon  him  during  his  life  and  that  has 
adhered  to  him  ever  since.  His  rightful  name  was 
Paolo  Caliari.  He  was  born  at  Verona  in  1528  and 
not  in  1530,  as  is  asserted  by  several  of  his  biographers, 
notably  by  Carlo  Ridolfi.  The  correct  date  is  now 
verified  by  the  discovery,  in  San  Samuele  of  Venice, 


VERONESE  17 

Veronese’s  parish  church,  of  the  register  of  deaths 
wherein  the  decease  of  the  great  painter  is  entered  as 
having  occurred  the  19th  of  April,  1588,  the  very  day 
when  he  completed  his  sixtieth  year. 

Paolo  Caliari  belonged  to  a family  of  artists.  His 
father,  Gabriele  Caliari,  was  a sculptor  and  enjoyed 
some  little  reputation  in  his  own  city.  Veronese’s 
uncle,  Antonio  Badile,  was  a painter,  and  in  such 
pictures  as  are  known  to  be  his  we  find  evidence  not 
only  of  a good  deal  of  ability,  but  of  a certain  facile 
grace  that  justifies  the  high  esteem  in  which  his  com- 
patriots held  him. 

Veronese’s  father,  being  of  a logical  turn  of  mind, 
wished,  since  he  himself  was  a sculptor,  to  make  a sculp- 
tor of  his  son.  Veronese  learned  to  model  statuettes 
in  clay,  and,  aided  by  his  precocious  intelligence,  he 
acquired  a real  dexterity  in  this  art,  quite  remarkable 
in  one  so  young. 

But  this  was  not  his  vocation.  Frequent  visits 
to  the  studio  of  his  uncle  Badile  had  awakened  in  him 
an  enthusiasm  for  painting.  He  applied  himself  to 
learn  to  paint  with  so  much  zeal  and  imagination 


i8  VERONESE 

that  his  father  made  no  attempt  to  check  his  inclina- 
tion, but  entrusted  him  to  Badile.  The  latter  was 
Veronese’s  real  teacher,  though  not  the  only  one,  for 
young  “ Paolino  ” also  attended  the  studio  of  another 
Veronese  painter,  Giovanni  Carotto. 

From  the  outset,  Veronese  applied  himself  ener- 
getically to  perfecting  his  skill  in  line  drawing.  The 
future  genial  painter  of  wondrous  fantasy  yielded  him- 
self without  a murmur  to  the  rude  but  salutary  ex- 
igencies of  technique.  Strange  caprice  on  the  part 
of  an  artist  who  was  destined  to  show  so  much  dex- 
terity in  execution  and  lavishness  in  decoration,  his 
tastes  turned  towards  the  most  severe  and  least 
imaginative  of  masters,  Albert  Durer  and  Lucas 
Van  Leyden.  It  was  through  copying  the  engravings 
of  these  illustrious  masters  that  he  learned  how  to  draw. 
Such  lessons  always  bear  their  fruit.  In  this  labor- 
ious apprenticeship,  Veronese  acquired  that  steadi- 
ness of  hand,  that  firmness  of  line  that  was  later  to 
be  noted  even  in  his  most  exuberant  paintings, 
despite  the  enormous  quantity  of  canvases  that  he 
produced  in  the  course  of  his  life. 


VERONESE  19 

Even  his  earliest  attempts  reveal  his  abundant 
and  facile  genius;  and  these  first,  and  one  might 
almost  say  immature,  works  already  foreshadow  the 
great  artist.  The  affectionate  patronage  of  his  uncle 
Badile  greatly  facilitated  his  debut.  At  an  age  when 
young  folk  have  not  usually  begun  to  form  dreams 
of  the  future,  young  Caliari  had  already  forced  himself 
upon  the  attention  of  Verona,  and  the  Chapter  of 
the  Church  of  San  Bernardino  commissioned  him  to 
paint  a Madonna. 

He  acquitted  himself  well  of  this  task.  The  work 
proved  satisfactory,  other  orders  followed,  and  the 
name  of  the  young  artist  swiftly  spread  beyond  the 
confines  of  his  native  city.  A short  time  later, 
the  cardinal  Ercole  di  Gonzaga  decided  to  decorate  the 
cathedral  at  Mantua,  recently  rebuilt  by  Giulio 
Romano.  He  sent  a summons  to  Caliari,  as  well  as 
to  three  other  Veronese  painters  who  enjoyed  a big 
reputation:  Battista  del  Moro,  Paolo  Farinato  degli 
Uberti,  and  Brusasorci,  who  was  regarded  as  the 
Titian  of  Verona.  The  cardinal  instituted  a sort  of 
rivalry  between  these  four  artists,  and  gave  them 


20  VERONESE 

orders  for  four  pictures,  destined  to  be  competitive. 
The  subject  entrusted  to  Paolo  Caliari  was  a repre- 
sentation of  the  Temptations  of  St,  Anthony,  The 
young  painter  applied  himself  resolutely  to  the  task. 
Far  from  intimidating  him,  the  redoubtable  compe- 
tition of  his  three  elders  served  only  to  excite  his 
ardour  and  stimulate  his  imagination.  He  painted 
the  saintly  anchorite  defending  himself  against  the 
blows  which  the  Devil  is  dealing  him  with  a stick  and 
repulsing  the  advances  of  a woman  who  has  been 
raised  up  from  hell  itself  to  tempt  him.  The  cardinal, 
delighted  with  this  picture,  gave  preference  to  Vero- 
nese over  his  three  competitors. 

Veronese  lost  no  time  in  returning  to  Verona,  but, 
however  flattering  the  esteem  with  which  his  com- 
patriots surrounded  him  might  be,  he  was  not  long 
in  finding  that  the  limited  scope  afforded  by  his  native 
city  was  too  narrow  for  his  activity.  He  had  a boy- 
hood friend,  Battista  Zelotti,  a painter  like  himself, 
and  also  like  himself  tormented  by  dreams  of  glory. 
Together  they  quitted  Verona  and  betook  themselves 
to  Tiene,  in  the  duchy  of  Vicenza.  Here  they  had 


VERONESE  21 

the  good  luck  to  meet  a man  of  discrimination,  in 
the  person  of  the  paymaster-general  Portesco,  who 
entrusted  them  with  the  decoration  of  his  palace. 
The  two  friends  apportioned  the  work  between  them; 
while  Zelotti,  who  had  studied  at  Venice  under  Titian, 
undertook  the  fresco  painting,  Veronese  decorated  the 
intervening  panels  in  grisaille,  or  gray  monochrome. 
The  result  of  this  friendly  collaboration  was  a com- 
plete series  of  paintings,  of  great  diversity:  hunting 
scenes,  banquets,  dances  and  numerous  subjects  bor- 
rowed from  mythology  or  from  history,  the  Loves  of 
Venus  and  Vulcan,  the  Heroism  of  Mucius  Scaevola, 
the  Festival  of  Cleopatra^  and  a remarkable  Sopho- 
nisba.  This  work  in  common  was  not  without  profit 
to  Veronese.  Zelotti’s  manner  closely  resembled  his 
own;  they  both  show  the  same  qualities  of  colouring 
and  composition,  and  the  same  broad  and  facile  touch. 

They  collaborated  once  again  on  fresco  work  in 
the  home  of  a certain  Eni,  in  the  village  of  Fanzolo, 
in  the  neighbourhood  of  Trevise.  After  this  they  sepa- 
rated, Zelotti  going  to  Vicenza,  whither  he  had  been 
summoned,  while  Caliari  betook  himself  to  Venice, 


22  VERONESE 

the  Promised  Land  towards  which  he  was  impelled 
by  his  ardent  desire  for  glory. 

Wlien  he  arrived  in  the  Most  Serene  Republic, 
Caliari  was  not  yet  twenty-five  years  old.  We  have 
no  reliable  document  regarding  these  first  years  of 
his  residence  there,  nor  even  of  the  impressions  pro- 
duced upon  him  by  the  opulent  and  magnificent  city. 
But  these  impressions  are  easy  to  conceive.  To 
anyone  so  sensitive  as  he  to  externals,  Venice  must 
have  seemed  enchanted  ground.  How  could  he  have 
failed  to  be  dazzled,  in  acquainting  himself  with  that 
gorgeous  city,  enthroned  upon  the  Adriatic,  like  a 
pearl  in  a casket  of  velvet?  With  what  joyous  eager- 
ness his  colour-enraptured  eye  must  have  rested  upon 
those  white  marble  palaces,  moulded  and  filagreed 
in  arabesque,  those  churches  paved  with  precious 
mosaics,  those  quays  swarming  ceaselessly  with  a 
picturesque  and  motley  crowd  of  Armenians,  Greeks 
and  Moors,  spreading  the  sun-bathed  pavements 
with  a glittering  display  of  spangled  ornaments,  tur- 
quoise-inlaid cutlery,  and  multicoloured  fabrics. 

If  the  models  that  passed  in  endless  procession 


PLATE  III.  — THE  HOLY  FAMILY 
(In  the  Mus€e  du  Louvre) 

In  this  work,  one  of  the  most  beautiful  in  the  Salon  Carre, 
Veronese  has  grouped  his  figures  in  a charming  manner.  Follow- 
ing his  customary  formula,  he  has  clothed  them  in  the  Venetian 
style,  but  the  faces  of  the  Virgin  and  the  Child  are  remarkable  for 
their  tenderness.  It  is  a matter  of  regret  that  time  has  faded  the 
colours  of  this  magnificent  painting. 


VERONESE  25 

before  his  eyes  impressed  him  as  magnificent  oppor- 
tunities, the  sight  of  what  other  painters  had  already 
wrought  from  this  material  aroused  his  artist  soul  to 
keen  enthusiasm.  The  whole  constellation  of  the 
great  Venetians  had  converted  the  city  of  the  Doges 
into  an  incomparable  museum:  Giorgione,  with  his 
melancholy  compositions,  full  of  vague  dreams;  Car- 
paccio, with  his  naive  and  picturesque  reproductions 
of  Venetian  life.  Among  the  living,  Sansovino,  simul- 
taneously architect  and  artist,  who  built  marvellous 
palaces  and  adorned  them  with  graceful  frescoes; 
Tintoretto,  sombre  genius  whose  creative  power 
largely  redeemed  the  somewhat  obscure  tints  of  his 
palette;  and  above  them  all,  Titian,  the  great  Titian, 
who  at  that  time  was  already  eighty  years  of  age, 
yet  still  manipulated  his  brush  with  the  firm  hand  of 
youth. 

All  these  masters  Veronese  admired  indiscrim- 
inately, as  was  fitting  in  a young  painter  who  had 
never  known  other  models  than  those  of  his  own 
small  city.  He  ran  the  danger  of  acquiring  manner- 
isms and  becoming  an  imitator.  By  a special  grace 


26  VERONESE 

accorded  to  genius  alone,  Veronese  succeeded  in  re- 
maining himself  and  borrowing  nothing  either  from 
his  predecessors  or  his  contemporaries.  From  his 
contemplation  of  the  works  of  the  others  he  gained 
only  a nobler  passion  for  his  art;  and  he  altered  noth- 
ing in  the  personal  vision  which  he  already  formed 
of  men  and  of  things. 

Vigorous,  blessed  with  good  health,  jovial  by 
nature,  and  much  enamoured  of  the  bright  and  sparkling 
side  of  life,  Veronese  fashioned  his  paintings  in  the 
image  of  his  own  temperament.  His  work  was  always 
an  exaltation  of  the  joy  of  living,  an  apology  for  those 
agreeable  externals  that  render  existence  pleasant 
and  easy;  fine  dwellings,  flowers,  copious  repasts, 
women  luxuriously  apparelled,  precious  fabrics,  horses 
and  dogs  of  fine  breed.  If  he  wished  to  paint  a Last 
Supper,  it  mattered  little  to  him  that  legend  and  his- 
tory agree  regarding  the  simplicity  and  the  humble 
station  of  Jesus  and  his  disciples:  History  and  tra- 
dition did  not  count  with  him.  A repast,  whatever 
it  would  be,  he  could  not  conceive  of,  unless  around 
a sumptuous  table,  covered  with  costly  vessels,  served 


VERONESE  27 

by  attendants  in  picturesque  costumes  and  enlivened 
by  the  antics  of  buffoons  or  the  harmonies  of  music. 
It  was  thus  that  he  painted  Christ,  it  was  after  this 
original  conception  that  he  worked  out  his  immortal 
compositions.  Accordingly  no  one  could  justly  ap- 
praise Veronese,  without  first  setting  aside,  as  he  did, 
all  those  historic  data  which  he  voluntarily  ignored. 

THE  SOJOURN  IN  VENICE 
There  are  few  painters  of  whose  private  life  so 
little  is  known  as  of  that  of  Veronese.  The  contem- 
porary documents  have  . disappeared  and  scarcely 
anything  more  remains  than  a few  of  his  letters; 
and  even  those  are  silent  as  to  his  day-by-day  exist- 
ence. All  that  it  is  possible  to  know  — and  to  this 
his  paintings  abundantly  bear  witness  — is  that  he 
was  possessed  of  an  agreeable  humour,  and  a pleasing 
personality;  — worthy  gentleman,  somewhat  quick 
of  temper  and  permitting  no  slight  to  be  put  upon 
his  dignity,  still  less  upon  his  honour.  He  was  neither 
a sycophant  nor  a courtier,  accepting  commissions 
but  never  soliciting  them.  His  ‘‘disinterestedness,’’ 


28  VERONESE 

writes  Charles  Yriarte,  ‘‘  has  remained  celebrated; 
during  one  entire  period  of  his  life,  the  greater  part 
of  the  contracts  which  he  signed  with  communities 
and  with  convents  stipulate  barely  the  value  of  his 
time  as  a remuneration  for  his  work.  This  was  before 
the  time  when  painters  were  expected  to  furnish  their 
colours  and  their  canvases,  but  demanded  only  the 
price  of  their  toil.  Later  on,  having  become,  if  not 
rich  — that  he  never  was,  — at  least  celebrated  and 
independent,  he  acquired  a taste  for  personal  luxury; 
he  delighted  in  brilliant  fabrics  and  wore  them  with 
ostentation;  he  loved  horses,  dogs,  and  hunting;  he 
frequented  high  society,  and  brought  to  it  that  Italian 
open-heartedness  which  makes  the  company  of  the 
illustrious  a relaxation  and  a pleasure  rather  than  an 
embarrassment  or  an  effort.  He  won  valuable  friend- 
ships and  was  able  to  retain  them  until  his  death.’’ 

Of  these  friendships,  the  most  efficacious  was  that 
of  the  Prior  of  the  convent  of  San  Sebastiano,  Ber- 
nardo Torlioni,  a Veronese  by  birth,  to  whom  he  had 
brought  letters  of  introduction.  No  sooner  had  young 
Caliari  arrived  in  Venice  at  the  beginning  of  1555, 


VERONESE  29 

than  he  presented  himself  to  his  venerable  compatriot, 
who  promptly  took  a fancy  to  him,  and  bestirred 
himself  to  serve  him.  Thanks  to  Torlioni,  Paolo  ob- 
tained an  order  for  five  pictures,  including  one  large 
composition,  the  Coronation  of  the  Virgin  and  four 
dependent  panels.  These  paintings  were  destined 
to  adorn  the  sacristy  of  the  church  of  San  Sebastiano, 
of  which  Bernardo  Torlioni  was  prior.  When  the  work 
was  done,  the  Chapter  expressed  itself  as  so  well 
pleased  that  it  entrusted  him  with  the  decoration  of 
the  church  itself,  including  the  ceiling.  It  was  here 
that  Veronese  painted  his  admirable  series  of  episodes 
from  the  History  of  Esther  and  Ahasuerus, 

The  success  of  this  series  was  so  great  that  the 
edifice  was  placed  unconditionally  in  his  hands,  and 
he  was  free  to  follow  his  fantasy  unhampered.  Fol- 
lowing a method  which  was  habitual  with  him,  he 
enhanced  the  effect  of  the  large  panels  painted  in 
fresco,  by  means  of  smaller  intervening  scenes  in 
chiaroscuro.  Here  also  one  finds  him  indulging  his 
hobby  for  architectural  painting,  such  as  always 
occupies  a large  place  in  his  pictures;  all  around  the 


30  VERONESE 

church  he  painted  truncated  columns,  ornamented 
with  arabesques  and  foliage,  “ with  a richness  and  a 
pomp  that  were  already  an  inseparable  feature  of  his 
style." 

In  the  works  of  Veronese,  the  accessories  always 
play  a highly  important  part;  and  it  is  not  difficult 
to  understand  the  reason.  His  main  object  being  to 
delight  the  eye,  he  attributed  considerable  space  to 
vases,  furniture,  armour,  fruits,  flowers,  graceful  drap- 
eries, brilliant  costumes,  mettlesome  horses,  and  more 
especially  dogs,  with  which  it  was  his  special  whim  to 
embellish  his  paintings.  The  dog  was  his  favourite 
animal,  and  even  at  that  epoch  its  presence  was  to  be 
noted  in  every  picture. 

When  the  church,  completely  decorated,  was 
opened  to  the  public,  there  was  general  rejoicing; 
Veronese  received  the  unanimous  vote  of  approval, 
from  the  populace  as  well  as  from  the  artists. 

From  that  day  forth,  the  ability  of  the  young 
painter  was  openly  acknowledged,  and  his  fortune 
assured.  Furthermore,  he  had  arrived  in  Venice  at 
a propitious  hour.  It  was  the  moment  when  the 


VERONESE  31 

Most  Serene  Republic,  victorious  over  the  seas  and 
surfeited  with  wealth,  attained  the  zenith  of  her  glory. 
In  her  opulence  Venice  chose  to  employ  her  treasures 
in  self-adornment;  palaces  arose  on  all  sides,  the  Ducal 
Palace  itself  was  redecorated;  Sansovino  was  just 
completing  the  new  Government  offices.  The  wealthy 
brotherhoods  and  equally  wealthy  parishes  were  seek- 
ing out  every  painter  of  repute  to  decorate  their 
churches  and  their  convents. 

Accordingly,  Veronese  had  arrived  at  the  crucial 
moment  to  satisfy  the  demands  of  art.  His  rivals 
were  negligible:  Salviati,  Battista  Franco,  Lo  Schia- 
vone,  Zelotti,  Orazio  Vocelli  the  son  of  Titian,  could 
none  of  them  hold  their  own  against  him.  Bordone 
was  at  the  court  of  Francis  I.  Tintoretto  alone,  at 
the  height  of  his  powers,  could  counterbalance  Vero- 
nese's glory.  As  to  the  aged  Titian,  he  was  no  longer 
producing  pictures  with  his  old-time  fertility;  further- 
more, he  had  already  divined  the  genius  of  Veronese 
and  conceived  a friendship  for  him. 

And  so,  throughout  thirty-three  years,  from  1555 
to  1588,  the  masterpieces  that  were  bom  beneath 


32  VERONESE 

Veronese’s  fingers  succeeded  one  another  without 
interruption.  The  walls  of  his  adopted  city  became 
overspread  with  his  luminous  canvases,  eloquent  of 
the  joyousness  of  Italy,  resplendent  with  the  trium- 
phant beauty  of  Venice. 

Shortly  after  the  decoration  of  San  Sebastiano  was 
completed,  Daniele  Barbaro,  Patriarch  of  Aquileia 
and  wealthy  patrician  of  Venice,  had  a splendid 
residence  built  him  at  Masiera  by  Palladio,  a cele- 
brated architect  of  the  period.  Being  a man  of  artistic 
taste,  he  wished  to  embellish  it  with  paintings  and 
statues  worthy  of  its  imposing  architecture.  For 
the  sculpture  he  summoned  Alessandro  Vittoria;  the 
paintings  were  entrusted  to  Paolo  Veronese. 

The  patriarch  Barbaro  was  one  of  his  friends,  and 
accordingly  allowed  him  a free  hand,  and  even  left 
the  choice  of  subjects  to  him. 

Veronese,  who  was  a prodigiously  fertile  artist, 
left  not  a single  space  in  Barbaro’s  house  unoccupied 
with  colour.  Wherever  space  would  not  permit  of 
large  compositions,  he  painted  trophies,  garlands, 
flowers,  even  statues,  possessing  all  the  lustre  and 


PLATE  IV.  — THE  WEDDING  AT  CANA 
(In  the  Musee  du  Louvre) 


This  immense  composition  is  the  most  celebrated  work  by 
Veronese.  It  is  considered  as  one  of  the  masterpieces  of  all  paint- 
ing. The  greater  number  of  the  guests  at  this  feast  are  portraits 
of  illustrious  characters  of  the  sixteenth  century,  and  the  artist  has 
included  himself,  along  with  Tintoretto  and  Titian,  in  the  group  of 
musicians  in  the  foreground. 


’I 


, ) 


■f:  ■< 


A 


'i 


I 


f 


VERONESE  35 

relief  of  marble.  Elsewhere  he  sketched  in  archi- 
tectural fantasies,  simulating  colonnades  and  porti- 
coes, opening  upon  landscapes  borrowed  from  the 
realm  of  dreams;  he  conceived  imaginary  doors, 
before  which  fictitious  lacqueys  appeared  to  be  standing. 
The  principal  subjects  treated  by  Veronese  at  Masiera 
include  Nobility,  Honour,  Magnificence,  Vice,  Virtue, 
Flora,  Pomona,  Ceres  and  Bacchus;  then  in  the  ceil- 
ing of  the  cupola  he  gathered  together  all  the  gods  of 
Olympus,  grouped  around  Jupiter. 

The  decorations  in  the  palace  at  Masiera  further 
augmented  Veronese’s  fame.  He  was  now  acknowl- 
edged to  be  the  foremost  painter  of  Venice,  next  to 
Titian.  Barbaro  had  been  so  delighted  with  his 
talents  that  he  determined  to  do  him  a service.  Stand- 
ing well  at  court,  he  recommended  him  to  the  Signoria. 
As  a result  of  this,  the  latter  entrusted  him  with  the 
task  of  redecorating  the  halls  and  chambers  of  the 
Doge’s  Palace,  in  conjunction  with  Tintoretto  and 
Orazio  Titian.  Which  of  the  three  artists  proved 
superior  it  is  impossible  to  decide  to-day,  because  a 

k ■ 

fire,  occurring  in  1576,  destroyed  their  paintings  along 


36  VERONESE 

with  the  palace.  But  public  opinion  of  that  period 
gave  the  palm  to  Veronese. 

It  seems  as  though  this  verdict  must  have  been 
justified,  in  view  of  the  esteem  in  which  his  name 
was  held. 

Shortly  afterwards,  Sansovino  having  completed 
the  construction  of  the  library,  the  procurators  in- 
structed the  architect  to  arrange  with  Titian  as  to  a 
choice  of  painters  to  decorate  it  in  competition.  Ve- 
ronese was  immediately  designated,  together  with 
Zelotti,  Batista  Franco,  Giuseppe  Salviati,  Lo  Schia- 
vene  and  II  Fratina,  who  were  to  divide  the  twenty-one 
ceiling  panels  between  them.  Three  round  com- 
partments fell  to  the  lot  of  Veronese,  who  filled  them 
with  figures  representing  Music,  Geometry  with  Arith- 
metic, and  Honour.  Under  Veronese’s  brush  these 
cold  abstractions  took  on  the  most  charming  forms; 
they  were  represented  by  graceful  women,  each  sur- 
rounded by  the  attributes  of  the  science  which  she 
symbolized.  A recompense  was  promised  by  the 
procurators  to  the  artist  whose  paintings  should  be 
adjudged  most  beautiful.  Titian  was  enthusiastic 


VERONESE  37 

over  those  of  Veronese.  Loyal  and  noble  artist  that 
he  was,  he  himself  solicited  the  votes  of  the  painters 
who  had  taken  part  in  the  competition,  and  thus 
Veronese  was  declared  winner  by  the  voice  of  his  own 
competitors.  The  senate  offered  him  a golden  chain 
which  he  delighted  to  wear  on  solemn  occasions. 

These  great  official  works  did  not  diminish  the  num- 
ber of  his  productions  for  churches,  convents,  or  private 
persons  of  wealth.  No  other  artist  affords  an  example 
of  similar  fecundity. 

And  what  verges  upon  prodigy  is  that  he  never 
employed  collaborators,  as  so  many  other  celebrated 
painters  have  done;  the  only  one  that  he  is  known  to 
have  had  is  his  brother  Benedetto  Caliari,  whose 
artistic  aid  was  limited  to  painting  in  the  prospective 
of  the  vast  architectural  designs  with  which  it  pleased 
Veronese  to  embellish  all  his  canvases. 

The  epoch  of  his  most  fertile  production  was  be- 
tween 1562  and  1565;  it  was  also  the  period  in  which 
he  executed  his  largest  and  most  celebrated  paintings, 
notably  his  famous  canvas  of  the  Wedding  at  Cana^ 
his  Feast  at  the  House  of  the  Pharisee,  his  Feast  at 


38  VERONESE 

the  House  of  the  Leper,  and  his  Feast  at  the  House 
of  Simon, 

These  four  pictures  are  known  under  the  name  of 
the  four  Feasts.  Two  of  them  belong  to  France  and 
hang  in  the  museum  of  the  Louvre,  in  the  room  known 
by  the  name  of  the  Salon  Carre;  these  are  the  Feast 
at  the  House  of  Simon  the  Pharisee  and  the  Wedding 
at  Cana. 


THE  WEDDING  AT  CANA 
Veronese  has  treated  this  subject  twice.  Accord- 
ingly the  picture  in  the  Louvre  must  not  be  confounded 
with  that  of  the  same  name  in  the  Brera  museum  at 
Milan.  In  spite  of  the  value  of  the  latter,  it  bears 
no  comparison  to  the  gigantic  canvas  in  the  national 
museum  of  France. 

This  picture  of  the  Wedding  at  Cana  was  painted 
by  Veronese  for  the  refectory  of  the  convent  of  San 
Giorgio  Maggiore,  on  the  island  that  faces  the  Riva  dei 
Schiavoni.  It  remained  there  until  the  time  of  Napo- 
leon’s Italian  Campaign.  Bonaparte,  who  loved  the  arts 
without  understanding  them,  laid  profane  hands  on  the 


PLATE  V.  — THE  FAMILY  OF  DARIUS 
(In  the  National  Gallery,  London) 


This  picturesque  painting  is  one  of  the  most  curious  of  all 
Veronese’s  works.  It  was  painted  in  return  for  the  hospitality 
which  he  received  from  the  Pisani  family,  and  all  the  figures  in  it 
are  portraits  of  members  of  the  household.  Another  point  worthy 
of  note  is  the  anachronism  of  the  warriors  clad  in  Roman  armour 
standing  before  the  kneeling  women,  who  are  dressed  in  the  man- 
ner of  the  sixteenth  century. 


VERONESE  41 

great  majority  of  Italian  masterpieces.  This  painting 
by  Veronese  was  one  of  the  number,  and  found  a place 
in  the  Louvre.  The  treaty  of  1815  obliged  France 
to  restore  these  treasures,  but  the  Austrian  commission- 
ers, appointed  to  accomplish  the  restitution,  became 
alarmed  at  the  difficulties  of  transportation  which 
the  Wedding  at  Cana  presented.  They  accordingly 
consented  to  exchange  this  canvas  for  a painting  by 
Le  Brun,  The  Feast  at  the  House  of  the  Pharisee, 
Veronese’s  masterpiece  remained  in  the  Louvre,  in 
which  it  is  one  of  the  most  flawless  gems. 

The  contract  drawn  up  between  Veronese  and  the 
Prior  of  San  Giorgio  Maggiore  for  the  execution  of 
this  picture  has  been  preserved.  The  painter  bound 
himself  to  deliver  it  within  a year,  since  the  contract 
was  signed  June  6,  1562,  and  the  delivery  of  the 
canvas  took  place  of  September  8,  1563.  He 
was  to  be  furnished  with  canvas  and  colours,  to  be 
entitled  to  take  his  meals  at  the  convent  and  receive 
a cask  of  wine  as  additional  recompense.  As  to 
remuneration  for  his  work,  it  was  fixed  by  mutual  agree- 
ment at  324  ducats,  which,  in  the  16th  century,  cor- 


42  VERONESE 

responded  to  972  francs  in  the  coin  of  France.  Taking 
into  consideration  the  enhanced  value  of  money  since 
that  epoch,  these  972  francs  would  represent  to-day 
7,000  francs.  Such  is  the  price  which  the  greatest 
artist  of  his  time  received  for  a masterpiece  which 
to-day  commands  the  admiration  of  the  entire 
world. 

Never  did  Veronese  display  so  much  brilliance, 
dispense  so  much  imagination  as  in  the  Wedding  at 
Cana;  never  did  he  show  a greater  dexterity  in  exe- 
cution; for,  however  considerable  the  dimensions  of 
the  canvas  may  be,  it  demanded  nothing  less  than 
genius  to  distribute  without  clash  or  disproportion 
the  hundred  and  thirty-two  personages  which  compose 
it.  A painter  less  thoroughly  sure  of  himself  would 
have  made  a sorry  mess  of  this  Feast;  Veronese  has 
produced  a composition  that  is  admirable  for  its 
balance,  in  abounding  charming  details,  and  unex- 
pected and  picturesque  episodes,  that  do  not  in  the 
least  detract  from  the  effect  of  the  painting  as  a 
whole. 

On  this  picture,  as  on  so  many  others  from  the 


VERONESE  43 

brush  of  Veronese,  one  cannot,  as  has  already  been 
said,  pass  an  equitable  judgment,  unless  one  accepts, 
without  question,  the  master’s  method.  Veronese 
had  no  more  respect  for  religious  tradition  than  he 
had  for  mythological  legend.  To  take  issue  with  the 
incongruities  and  anachronisms  of  the  Wedding  at 
Cana,  is  voluntarily  to  debar  oneself  from  discussing 
it.  If  historic  exactitude  is  the  one  thing  that  counts 
in  a painting,  then  this  picture  simply  does  not  exist. 
But  happily  painting  has  no  need  to  justify  itself  to 
history;  it  is  amply  sufficient  to  itself,  without  borrow- 
ing anything  from  history,  and  loses  nothing  of  its 
beauty  if  perchance  it  does  violence  to  history.  And 
of  this  the  Wedding  at  Cana  furnishes  a most  eloquent 
proof. 

The  composition  of  this  famous  picture  is  well 
known.  Jesus  is  seated  in  the  middle  focus,  at  the 
centre  of  the  table,  which  is  curved  on  each  side  in 
the  form  of  a horse-shoe.  To  fill  this  immense  table, 
Veronese  did  not  go  to  the  scriptures  in  search  of 
personages;  he  drew  them  from  his  surroundings 
and  from  his  own  imagination. 


44 


VERONESE 


The  groom,  a handsome,  black  bearded  young 
man,  clad  in  purple  and  gold,  is  no  other  than  Alphonso 
d 'Avalos,  Marquis  del  Vasto,  and  the  bride  is  a portrait 
of  Eleanora  of  Austria,  sister  of  Charles  V.,  and 
Queen  of  France.  On  the  left,  one  discovers, 
with  some  surprise,  Francis  I.,  Charles  V.,  the  Sultan 
Achmed  II.,  and  Queen  Mary  of  England.  Beside 
the  Sultan  is  a woman  richly  robed  and  holding  a 
tooth-pick;  she  is  Vittoria  Colonna,  Marchesa  di 
Pescara;  then,  further  on  are  monks,  cardinals,  and 
personal  friends  of  the  artist.  Standing  up,  clad  in 
brocade  and  holding  a cup  in  his  hand,  is  Veronese's 
brother,  Benedetto  Caliari.  In  the  centre  are  a group 
of  musicians.  The  octogenarian  bending  over  his 
viol,  is  a portrait  of  Titian;  Bassano  is  playing  the 
flute;  Tintoretto  and  Veronese  himself  draw  their 
bow  across  the  strings  of  a 'cello. 

The  success  of  the  Wedding  at  Cana  was  triumphal. 
The  great  painters  of  Venice,  contemporaries  of 
Veronese,  overwhelmed  him  with  proofs  of  their 
admiration;  even  morose  Tintoretto  found  some  ex- 
tremely amiable  words  in  which  to  praise  his  rival  in 


VERONESE  45 

fame,  and  Titian  embraced  the  happy  painter  when 
he  chanced  to  meet  him  in  the  city  streets. 

These  praises  were  merited;  the  Wedding  at  Cana 
is  quite  truly  one  of  the  most  beautiful  masterpieces 
in  the  world’s  collection  of  paintings. 

The  renown  obtained  by  this  admirable  work 
brought  Veronese  a host  of  orders.  The  various  cities 
vied  with  each  other  to  secure  him  to  decorate  their 
churches  or  their  convents.  His  first  patron,  the 
Prior  Torlioni,  ordered  a picture  from  him  for  the 
convent  of  San  Sebastiano,  the  church  of  which  he 
had  already  decorated.  Veronese,  by  no  means  un- 
grateful, painted  for  him  the  Feast  at  the  House  of 
the  Leper,  in  1570;  three  years  later  he  painted  for 
the  dominican  monastery  of  San  Giovanni  e Paolo  the 
Feast  at  the  House  of  Levi,  to  decorate  one  side  of 
the  refectory.  The  monks  had  only  a modest  sum 
at  their  disposal  and  tremblingly  offered  it  to  the  now 
celebrated  painter;  they  naively  added  the  donation 
of  a few  casks  of  wine.  Veronese  exhibited  the  most 
complete  disinterestedness  by  accepting  these  humble 
offers  of  the  Prior.  This  was  his  third  Feast, 


46  VERONESE 

The  fourth,  known  under  the  name  of  the  Feast 
at  the  House  of  Simon  the  Pharisee,  was  executed  for 
the  refectory  of  the  Brotherhood  of  Servites.  It 
represents  Magdalen  on  her  knees,  wiping  the  feet  of 
Christ  with  her  hair.  This  painting  now  hangs  in 
the  Louvre,  opposite  the  Wedding  at  Cana.  It  has 
been  the  property  of  France  for  two  centuries,  and  the 
history  of  its  acquisition  by  Louis  XIV  is  curious 
enough  to  be  worth  the  telling.  Colbert,  having 
learned  that  Spain  had  negotiated  for  the  purchase 
of  the  Feast  at  the  House  of  Simon,  resolved  to  go 
to  any  lengths  in  order  to  acquire  it  himself,  on  behalf 
of  Louis  XIV.  The  French  ambassador  to  Venice, 
Pierre  de  Bonzi,  was  charged  with  the  negotiations. 
To  address  himself  directly  to  the  Servites  was  im- 
possible, since  there  was  a law  in  the  Venetian  Republic 
forbidding  the  sale  and  exportation  of  any  native  works 
of  art.  Bonzi  pursued  the  course  of  informing  the 
Signoria  of  his  royal  master’s  wish.  The  Signoria, 
desirous  of  securing  the  good  will  of  the  great  king, 
without  violating  her  own  laws,  purchased  with 
public  funds  the  picture  from  the  Servites,  and  straight- 


VERONESE  47 

way  offered  it  to  Louis  XIV,  who  returned  warm  thanks 
to  his  “very  dear  and  great  friends,  allies  and  con- 
federates, after  having  seen  this  rare  and  most  perfect 
original.” 

VERONESE  AND  THE  INQUISITION 

These  four  Feasts  of  Veronese  won  him  a wide- 
spread renown.  But  there  were  certain  hostile  spirits, 
uncompromising  traditionalists,  to  whom  the  fantastic 
elements  which  he  introduced  into  the  composition 
of  his  religious  pictures  were  necessarily  strongly  dis- 
pleasing. To  introduce  dwarfs,  buffoons,  men  at  arms 
under  the  influence  of  liquor,  at  a feast  where  Jesus 
and  his  disciples  take  part,  — did  not  this  savour  of 
irreverence,  nay,  worse  than  that,  of  heresy? 

The  Feast  at  the  House  of  Levi  the  Publican,  exe- 
cuted for  the  convent  of  San  Giovanni  e Paolo,  in 
which  Veronese  had  given  free  rein  to  his  imagination, 
was  denounced  to  the  Holy  Offlce,  and  on  July  18, 
1573,  the  artist  was  summoned  before  the  tribunal 
of  the  Inquisition. 

In  the  Most  Serene  Republic  this  tribunal  scarcely 


48  VERONESE 

had  the  same  redoubtable  power  with  which  the  sombre 
fanaticism  of  Philip  II  had  armed  it  in  Spain.  It 
was  none  the  less  a grave  risk  to  incur  its  displeasure 
at  an  epoch  when  the  Papacy  still  held  undisputed 
sway  over  the  guidance  of  souls.  Consequently  this 
prosecution  caused  Veronese  serious  alarm. 

M.  Armand  Baschet  discovered  quite  recently  in 
the  archives  of  the  Frari,  at  Venice,  the  official  record 
of  the  trial  with  all  the  questions  put  to  him  and  his 
answers. 

The  judges  took  special  exception  to  his  Feast  at 
the  House  of  Levi,  which  seemed  to  them  an  outrage 
upon  religion.  Each  one  of  the  figures  in  the  picture 
was  brought  up  separately  for  discussion,  and  the  luck- 
less Veronese  was  required  to  make  explanation. 
What  was  the  significance  of  that  man  who  was  bleed- 
ing at  the  nose?  Why  were  those  two  soldiers,  on 
the  steps  of  the  stairway,  one  of  them  drinking  and 
the  other  eating,  clad  in  German  uniform?  And,  at 
a repast  where  the  Saviour  figures,  what  was  that 
ridiculous  buffoon  doing  with  a parroquet  on  his  wrist? 

Veronese  defended  himself  as  best  he  could.  He 


PLATE  VI.  — CALVARY 
(In  the  Musee  du  Louvre) 


In  painting  this  subject,  which  so  many  artists  have  treated  in  a 
lugubrious  tone,  Veronese,  while  preserving  the  intense  sadness 
of  the  scene  on  Calvary,  has  none  the  less  succeeded  in  lavishing 
upon  it  his  habitual  qualities  as  a colourist.  All  the  actors  in  the 
divine  drama  wear  gloomy  countenances  and  resplendent  robes. 


VERONESE  51 

assumed  a sort  of  injured  innocence  and  apparently 
failed  to  understand  the  enormity  of  the  irreverence 
with  which  he  was  charged.  Next,  he  took  shelter 
behind  the  precedent  established  by  the  great  masters. 
He  cited  Michelangelo  and  his  Last  Judgment: 

“At  Rome,  in  the  Pope’s  own  chapel,  Michel- 
angelo has  represented  Our  Lord,  his  Mother,  Saint 
John,  Saint  Peter  and  the  Celestial  Choir,  and  he  has 
represented  them  all  naked,  even  the  Virgin  Mary, 
and  that,  too,  in  diverse  attitudes,  such  as  were  cer- 
tainly not  inspired  by  our  greatest  of  religions.” 

Finally,  Veronese  emphatically  denied  the  charge 
of  any  intentional  irreverence  toward  the  Church;  he 
declared  that  he  had  simply  permitted  himself,  perhaps 
wrongfully,  a certain  amount  of  license  such  as  is 
accorded  to  poets  and  to  fools. 

His  contrite  attitude  won  him  the  indulgence  of 
the  Tribunal.  But  the  judges  demanded  that  he  should 
correct  his  picture,  and  he  was  obliged  to  remove  the 
dwarfs  and  the  fools  and  to  modify  the  attitude  of 
his  men  at  arms.  This  is  the  picture  that  may  be 
seen  to-day  at  the  Accademia  delle  Belle  Arti,  at 


52  VERONESE 

Venice,  retouched  in  accordance  with  the  orders  of 
the  Holy  Office. 

THE  JOURNEY  TO  ROME 

In  spite  of  his  keen  desire  to  pay  a visit  to  Rome, 
Veronese  was  kept  in  Venice  by  his  ceaseless  produc- 
tivity, and  he  attained  the  age  of  forty  without  ever 
having  had  the  chance  of  a sight  of  the  Eternal  City. 
Of  all  the  masterpieces  in  that  home  of  the  Pontiffs, 
he  knew  nothing,  excepting  of  such  as  he  had  seen  copied 
in  the  form  of  engravings.  The  appointment  of  his 
friend  and  patron  as  ambassador  to  the  Holy  See, 
afforded  him  an  opportunity  to  make  the  journey  so 
many  times  projected  and  deferred. 

No  documents  exist  regarding  Veronese’s  sojourn 
in  Rome,  but  at  all  events  it  was  fairly  brief.  Beyond 
this,  we  are  reduced  to  mere  conjecture.  Furthermore, 
there  is  no  extant  evidence  to  sustain  the  idea  that  he 
practised  his  art  in  the  Eternal  City.  If  he  had 
painted  any  pictures  there,  some  trace  of  them  would 
surely  have  been  discovered.  It  must  therefore  be 
concluded  that  he  contented  himself  with  admiring 


VERONESE  53 

the  masterpieces  with  which  his  illustrious  predeces- 
sors, Raphael  and  Michelangelo,  had  enriched  the 
capital  of  the  Pontiffs.  ^ 

But  his  temperament  was  too  peculiar,  his  manner 
too  individual,  and  we  may  as  well  acknowledge,  his 
nature  too  superficial,  to  permit  of  his  experiencing 
those  profound  and  overwhelming  impressions  that 
radically  modify  an  artistic  career. 

And  for  this  we  ought  rather  to  be  thankful  than 
to  complain,  since  it  was  only  his  obstinate  insistence 
upon  remaining  himself  that  saved  Veronese  from 
shipwreck  upon  the  ever  threatening  reef  of  imitation. 

THE  RETURN  TO  VENICE 
From  the  moment  of  his  return  to  Venice,  Veronese 
was  besieged  from  all  sides;  once  again  he  found  him- 
self enslaved  to  forced  labor  by  the  incessant  contracts 
demanded  of  him  by  his  fellow  citizens.  The  scanti- 
ness of  documents  which  we  possess  regarding  his  life 
does  not  permit  us  to  name  the  chronological  order 
in  which  he  painted  his  pictures.  We  shall  therefore 
gather  them  into  groups  for  the  sake  of  convenience 


54  VERONESE 

in  Studying  his  more  important  works.  Furthermore, 
to  study  one  by  one,  all  of  his  paintings,  is  not  to  be 
thought  of;  for  this  painter  was  one  of  the  most  pro- 
lific producers  of  which  the  history  of  art  makes  men- 
tion. In  every  one  of  his  pictures  will  be  found,  more 
or  less  accentuated,  those  qualities  of  composition,  of 
picturesqueness,  and  of  colour  which  together  consti- 
tute his  glory.  Accordingly  we  shall  limit  ourselves 
to  indicating,  at  the  different  stages  of  his  career, 
those  pictures  which  show  most  deeply  the  imprint 
of  his  genius  and  which  also  are  most  closely  related 
to  the  life  of  Venice  of  which  he  was,  in  a certain  way, 
together  with  Tintoretto,  the  official  painter.  For  the 
rest  the  reader  may  be  referred  to  the  complete  cata- 
logue of  the  works  of  Veronese  given  at  the  close  of 
this  book. 

Concerning  the  private  life  of  the  artist  we  are  as 
poorly  informed  as  concerning  the  date  of  his  pictures. 
We  know  only  that  he  married  and  that  he  had  two 
sons,  Gabriele  and  Carletto.  When  they  were  old 
enough  to  hold  a brush  he  entrusted  them  to  Bassano, 
a Venetian  painter  whose  talent  he  held  in  high  esteem. 


VERONESE  55 

As  regards  himself,  the  documents  of  the  period  vaunt 
his  uprightness,  his  honesty  and  his  keen  sense  of 
honour.  Ridolfi,  one  of  his  biographers,  who  wrote 
sixty  years  after  Veronese’s  death,  and  relied  upon  the 
recollections  of  people  who  knew  him  personally, 
pictured  him  as  a man  of  strict  principles  and  settled 
habits,  and  economical  almost  to  the  point  of  avarice. 
He  cites,  as  an  example  of  this,  that  the  artist  rarely 
employed  ultramarine,  which  was  very  costly  at  that 
time,  and  thus  condemned  his  works  to  premature 
deterioration. 

His  fortune,  the  extent  of  which  we  learn  from  the 
fiscal  records  of  Venice,  consisted  in  a few  holdings  of 
real  estate  at  Castelfranco  in  Trevisano.  In  1585 
he  purchased  a small  estate  at  Santa  Maria  in  Porto, 
not  far  from  the  Pineta  of  Ravenna.  He  also  possessed 
a bank  account  representing  approximately  six  thou- 
sand sequins.  But  what  was  that  for  a man  who  was 
the  most  famous  and  the  most  fertile  artist  of  his 
time? 

We  have  already  given  examples  of  his  disinter- 
estedness. Many  a time  he  refused  opportunities  of 


56  VERONESE 

great  wealth.  He  even  declined  the  offers  made 
him  by  Philip  II,  who  tried  to  lure  him  to  Spain 
and  would  have  entrusted  him  with  decorating  the 
Escurial. 

It  was  about  the  period  of  his  return  to  Venice 
that  Veronese  completed  his  celebrated  picture:  The 
Family  of  Darius  at  the  Feet  of  Alexander  after  the 
Battle  of  IssuSy  now  in  the  National  Gallery  at  London. 
The  episode  is  wdl  known;  Darius  III.,  King  of 
Persia,  conquered  at  Issus  by  Alexander,  sends  his 
wife  and  children  to  beg  for  clemency  from  the  victor. 
Admitted  to  the  conqueror’s  tent,  the  unfortunate 
wife  perceives  a warrior  in  resplendent  garments  whom 
she  takes  for  Alexander,  and  throws  herself  at  his  feet. 
The  warrior,  however,  is  only  Ephestion,  Alexander’s 
lieutenant  and  friend.  The  wife  of  Darius  apologizes 
for  her  mistake,  but  Alexander  raises  her  up  and  says: 
'‘You  made  no  mistake,  he  also  is  Alexander.” 

Such  is  the  historic  theme.  But  what  matters 
history  to  Veronese?  Upon  this  classic  subject  he  has 
built  the  most  fantastic,  the  most  improbable,  and  at 
the  same  time  the  most  fascinating  of  his  compositions. 


VERONESE  57 

The  picture  was  painted  for  the  Pisani  family  which 
had  given  him  hospitality,  and  every  one  of  the  figures 
contained  in  it  represents  a member  of  that  household. 

It  is  related  that,  in  order  to  spare  his  hosts  the 
necessity  of  thanking  him  or  the  obligation  of  making 
some  return,  he  rolled  up  his  canvas  and  slipped  it 
behind  his  bed  in  such  a way  that  it  would  not  be 
discovered  in  his  room  until  after  his  departure. 

It  is  scarcely  probable  that  Veronese  could  have 
painted  so  large  a canvas  — fourteen  metres  by  seven 
— in  the  necessarily  brief  space  of  a friendly  visit, 
or  that  he  could  have  painted  in  his  figures,  which  are 
all  of  them  portraits,  without  the  knowledge  of  the 
Pisani  family.  But  the  anecdote  is  so  pretty  that  it 
is  pleasant  to  accept  it  as  true. 

It  was  a direct  descendant  of  the  Venetian  Proc- 
urator, Count  Victor  Pisani,  who  sold  the  painting 
to  England  in  1857. 

THE  DECORATION  OF  THE  DUCAL  PALACE 
In  1577  a violent  conflagration  destroyed  the 
greater  part  of  the  Ducal  Palace.  In  this  disaster 


58  VERONESE 

all  the  pictures  perished  with  which  Tintoretto,  Ho- 
ratio the  son  of  Titian,  and  Veronese,  had  decorated  it. 

Desiring  to  restore  the  palace  promptly  and  give 
it  a new  splendour,  the  Senate  appointed  a committee, 
authorized  to  distribute  orders  among  the  painters  and 
decorators  of  Venice.  The  competitors  were  numer- 
ous and  eager  to  secure  a chance  to  collaborate  in  so 
glorious  an  enterprise ; and  to  this  end  they  paid  eager 
court  to  the  committee.  Veronese  alone  made  no 
advances,  being  unwilling  to  appear  solicitous.  This 
dignified  course  was  looked  upon  as  excess  of  pride, 
and  one  day  when  Jacopo  Contanari  met  him  in  the 
street  he  reproached  him  with  it.  Veronese  replied 
that  it  was  not  his  business  to  seek  for  honours  but  to 
be  deserving  of  them,  and  that  he  had  less  skill  in 
soliciting  work  than  in  executing  it. 

But  they  could  not  exclude  Veronese,  whose  fame 
had  now  become  universal.  Accordingly  he  was 
chosen  with  Tintoretto,  and  to  them  were  added 
Francisco  Bassano  and  the  younger  Palma.  The 
Ducal  Palace  is  therefore  a sort  of  museum  of  the 
works  of  these  masters,  and  forms  the  most  brilliant 


PLATE  VII.  — THE  MARRIAGE  OF  ST.  CATHERINE 
(In  the  Accademia  delle  Belle  Arti,  Venice) 

There  is,  perhaps,  no  other  religious  subject  which  has  so  often 
stimulated  the  inspiration  of  the  great  Italian  painters.  Veronese 
himself  has  treated  the  same  scene  several  times.  The  painting 
here  reproduced  is  considered,  in  view  of  the  picturesqueness  of 
its  composition,  the  beauty  of  the  faces,  and  the  brilliance  of  the 
colouring,  to  be  one  of  the  best  works  of  the  illustrious  artist. 


From  Painting  by  Leonordo  Da  Vinci  (1452-1519)  in  St.  Ambrose  Church,  Milan, 


MADONNA  ENTHRONED  WITH  SAINTS 

From  Painting  by  Veronese  (1528-1588)  Venice. 


VERONESE  6i 

collection  of  paintings  relating  to  the  public  life  and 
the  glorification  of  Venice. 

Veronese  was  entrusted  with  the  decoration  of  the 
great  central  oval  of  the  ceiling,  and  the  lateral  panels. 
In  these  he  painted  the  Defence  of  Scutari,  the  Taking 
of  Smyrna,  and  the  Triumph  of  Venice.  This  last 
named  painting  is  considered  by  many  as  Veronese’s 
crowning  achievement. 

Venice  is  here  represented  in  the  form  of  a superb 
and  smiling  woman,  seated  upon  the  clouds,  her  eyes 
raised  towards  Glory,  who  offers  her  a crown.  At 
her  side.  Renown  celebrates  her  grandeur;  at  her  feet 
are  grouped  Honour,  Liberty,  Peace,  Juno,  and  Ceres; 
lower  down  an  ethereal  structure  of  admirable  daring 
and  architectural  beauty  sustains  a great  assemblage 
of  gentlemen  and  ladies  richly  clad,  of  cardinals  and 
bishops,  all  emulously  uniting  in  the  glorification  of 
Venice.  On  the  ground  level  standards,  trophies, 
and  cavaliers  add  the  finishing  touch  to  the  composi- 
tion, and  are  treated  with  incomparable  vigour  and 
skill  both  in  chiaroscuro  and  in  perspective. 

Although  of  more  modest  dimensions,  the  Taking 


62  VERONESE 

of  Smyrna  and  the  Defence  of  Scutari  are  in  no  wise 
inferior  to  the  great  central  composition.  In  this 
same  Hall  of  the  Grand  Council,  Veronese  painted 
two  other  great  canvases,  representing  the  Military 
Expedition  of  the  Doges,  Loredan  and  Mocenigo. 

But  for  that  matter  there  is  not  a room  in  the 
Palace  of  the  Doges  in  which  Veronese  is  not  repre- 
sented by  one  or  more  canvases;  in  the  Hall  of  the 
Anticollegio,  there  is  a ceiling  painting  representing 
Venice  Enthroned,  a work  that  has  unfortunately 
deteriorated;  in  the  Hall  of  the  Collegio,  a Battle  of 
Lepanto,  a Christ  in  Glory,  Venice  and  the  Doge  Venier, 
a Faith,  a St,  Mark,  and  a ceiling  which  is  considered 
as  the  most  beautiful  in  the  whole  Palace  of  the  Doges : 
Venice  Upon  the  Terrestrial  Globe,  Between  Justice 
and  Peace.  The  Hall  of  the  Council  of  Ten  contains, 
in  the  oval  ceiling  panel:  An  Old  Man  resting  his  Head 
on  his  Hand  and  A Young  Woman.  In  the  Hall  of  the 
“Bussola,’’  St,  Mark  crowning  the  Theological  Virtues, 
the  original  of  which  is  at  the  present  time  in  the 
Louvre.  Mention  should  also  be  made  of:  The 
Triumph  of  the  Doge  Venier  over  the  Turks;  the 


VERONESE  63 

Return  of  Contanari,  Victor  over  the  Genoese  at  Chiog- 
gia;  the  Emperor  Frederick  at  the  feet  of  Alexander 
IIL,  and,  in  the  Hall  of  the  Ambassadors,  a magnifi- 
cent allegory  of  Venice,  personified  as  a patrician  lady 
seen  from  behind,  robed  in  white  satin  and  of  marvel- 
lous grace. 

Veronese  also  had  a share  in  the  decoration  of 
another  of  Venice’s  monumental  buildings,  situated 
near  the  bridge  of  the  Rialto  and  known  by  the  name 
of  the  Fondaco  dei  Tedeschi.  This  building,  which 
is  to-day  occupied  by  the  Post  Office,  formerly  served 
as  warehouse  for  German  business  men  having  com- 
mercial relations  with  the  Republic.  These  rich 
merchants  had  had  the  palace  adorned  by  the  greatest 
painters  in  Venice.  Giorgione  and  Titian  had  deco- 
rated its  walls  not  only  within,  but  also  on  the  exterior, 
where  traces  of  the  paintings  can  still  be  seen.  Vero- 
nese was  entrusted  with  four  compositions,  one  of  which 
is  an  allegory  representing  Germany  receiving  the 
Imperial  Crown,  It  is  believed  that  the  canvas  now 
in  the  Museum  at  Berlin,  entitled  Jupiter,  Fortune  and 
Germany,  once  formed  part  of  the  decoration  of  the 


64  VERONESE 

Fondaco  dei  Tedeschi.  It  was  purchased  at  Verona 
in  1841.  Veronese's  celebrity,  about  the  year  1580, 
had  become  world-wide.  Every  sovereign  who  prided 
himself  on  his  art  gallery  wished  to  possess  some  of 
his  work.  The  indefatigable  artist  endeavoured  to 
satisfy  them  all;  he  even  corresponded  personally  with 
several  of  them.  For  the  Duke  of  Savoy,  he  painted 
The  Queen  of  Sheba  Visiting  Solomon;  to  the  Duke 
of  Mantua,  who  had  honoured  him  with  his  friendship, 
he  sent  a Moses  Saved  from  the  Waters;  to  the  Em- 
peror Rudolph  II.  he  gave  a Cephale  and  Procris  and 
a Poem  of  Venus,  These  last  two  canvases,  of  which 
the  German  Emperor  was  very  proud,  were  taken 
from  him  by  Gustavus  Adolphus,  when  that  trium- 
phant conqueror  passed  through  Vienna. 

Throughout  his  life,  Veronese  remained  faithful 
to  the  pompous,  brilliant,  ornamental  school  of  paint- 
ing. Not  that  he  was  incapable  of  essaying  other 
types,  but  because  it  was  his  own  preference  to  paint 
ease  and  luxury  on  a broad  scale.  He  sometimes  had 
occasion  to  handle  more  vigorous  subjects,  and  in  this 
he  was  completely  successful,  as  the  magnificent 


VERONESE  65 

painting  entitled  Jupiter  Destroying  the  Vices  abun- 
dantly bears  witness. 

The  surprise  experienced  in  the  presence  of  this 
noble  work,  executed  with  the  energy  of  a master-hand, 
is  surpassed  only  by  admiration  for  the  versatility 
of  a genius  which  could  at  will  adapt  itself  to  unfamil- 
iar formulas.  This  famous  painting,  proud  and  virile 
in  style,  was  taken  from  Italy  by  the  victorious  Armies 
of  France,  and  placed  in  Versailles  in  the  chamber  of 
Louis  XIV.,  where  for  a long  period  it  served  as  the 
ceiling  decoration.  It  was  finally  removed  and  now 
hangs  in  the  Louvre,  in  company  of  other  master- 
pieces by  the  same  artist. 

THE  LAST  YEARS 

The  execution  of  his  large  official  canvases  did  not 
prevent  Veronese  from  responding  to  all  the  appeals 
which  came  to  him  from  every  side.  His  unequalled 
activity,  his  prodigious  facility  made  it  possible  for 
him  to  satisfy  these  demands.  No  one  knows  all  the 
pictures  which  he  painted  for  private  individuals, 
nor  all  the  frescoes  with  which  he  adorned  certain 


66  VERONESE 

dwellings  that  have  since  disappeared.  Nevertheless 
what  a formidable  list  the  works  of  this  painter  would 
make  if  the  attempt  were  made  to  draw  up  such  a list 
without  omissions ! Ridolfi  devotes  not  less  than 
thirty  pages  to  a simple  enumeration  of  the  pictures 
which  Veronese  painted  for  the  neighbouring  islands 
of  Venice,  such  as  Murano  and  Torcello,  for  the  country 
house  of  the  Grimani  at  Orlago,  for  that  of  the  Duke 
of  Tuscany  at  Artemino,  or  for  the  Palace  of  the  Pisani. 
To  Verona,  to  Brescia,  to  Vicenza,  to  Treviso,  to 
Padua;  to  Venice  also,  to  the  Frari,  to  Ognissanti,  to 
the  Umilta,  to  San  Francisco  del  Orto,  to  Santa  Cata- 
rina, for  which  he  painted  his  famous  Marriage  of  St, 
Catherine^  everywhere,  in  short,  where  they  required 
him,  he  sent  marvellous  canvases,  magic  with  colour 
and  with  life;  — canvases  for  which  to-day  museums 
vie  with  each  other  for  their  weight  in  gold. 

But  Veronese  was  no  longer  young;  he  had  entered 
well  into  the  fifties;  yet  nothing  in  his  craftsmanship 
betrayed  fatigue  or  waning  powers.  A genius  almost 
unique,  he  went  steadily  forward  and  no  one  could 
say  of  him,  in  the  presence  of  his  latest  productions, 


VERONESE  67 

what  has  so  often  been  said  of  other  illustrious  painters : 
‘‘That  is  a work  of  his  old  age!”  Veronese  had  the 
rare  privilege  of  remaining  young  to  the  end. 

One  day,  while  following  a procession  on  foot, 
Veronese  contracted  a cold,  and  after  a brief  illness  he 
died.  His  obsequies  took  place  in  the  parish  church 
of  San  Samuele,  April  19,  1588.  On  that  day  he 
would  have  completed  his  sixtieth  year. 

When  we  remember  that,  up  to  the  eve  of  his  death, 
Veronese  continued  to  paint  with  as  steady  a hand  as 
at  the  age  of  twenty,  his  death  seems  premature,  and 
it  is  only  natural  to  deplore  that  this  matchless  artist 
should  have  failed  to  obtain  the  ripe  age  of  Titian. 
What  masterpieces  he  might  still  have  painted! 

Such  as  they  are,  brilliant  and  luxuriant,  his  works 
remain  the  most  abundant  that  have  ever  come  from 
the  palette  of  any  one  painter,  and  Veronese  stands 
lastingly,  in  the  history  of  Art,  as  the  most  amazing 
of  all  masters,  both  in  colour  and  in  composition. 


PLATE  VIIL  — THE  VISION  OP  ST.  HELENA 
(In  the  National  Gallery,  London) 

This  picture  has  often  been  attributed  to  Zelotti,  who  was  a 
friend  and  at  one  time  a collaborator  of  Veronese.  But  the  com- 
position, the  colouring,  the  finish  of  detail,  and  the  sumptuousness 
of  decoration  betray  the  hand  of  the  immortal  author  of  the  Wedding 
at  Cana. 


THE  WORKS  OF  PAOLO  VERONESE 


THE  WORKS  OF  PAOLO  VERONESE 


FRANCE 

PARIS  (MUSEUM  OF  THE  LOUVRE):  The  Wedding  at  Cana.  — The 
Feast  at  the  House  of  Simon  the  Pharisee.  — Jupiter  destroying  the  Vices. 
— Portrait  of  a Young  Woman.  — Susannah  and  the  Elders.  — The  Dis- 
ciples at  Emmaiis.  — The  Fainting  of  Esther.  — The  Burning  of  Sodom.  — 
Two  Holy  Families.  — Calvary.  — Jesus  Stumbling  Beneath  the  Weight 
of  the  Cross.  — St.  Mark  Crowning  the  Theological  Virtues.  — Jesus 
Curing  Peter’s  Mother-in-law. 

MONTPELLIER  (MUSEUM):  The  Virgin  in  the  Clouds.  — The  Marriage 
of  St.  Catherine.  — St.  Francis  Receiving  the  Stigmata. 

RENNES  (MUSEUM):  Perseus  Delivering  Andromeda. 

LILLE  (MUSEUM) : Science  and  Eloquence.  — The  Martyrdom  of  St. 
George. 

ROUEN  (MUSEUM) : St.  Barnabas  Curing  the  Sick. 

ENGLAND 

LONDON  (NATIONAL  GALLERY):  The  Rape  of  Europa.  — The  Family 
of  Darius.  — Magdalen  at  the  Feet  of  the  Saviour.  — The  Vision  of  St. 
Helena.  — The  Adoration  of  the  Magi.  — The  Consecration  of  St.  Nicholas. 

EDINBURGH  (NATIONAL  GALLERY):  Venus  and  Adonis.  — Mars  and 
Venus. 

DULWICH  COLLEGE:  A Cardinal  pronouncing  Benediction. 


74 


VERONESE 


ITALY 

VENICE  (ACCADEMIA  DELLE  BELLE  ARTI):  St.  Mark  and  St.  Matthew. 

— The  Feast  at  the  House  of  Levi.  — St.  Luke  and  St.  John.  — St.  Chris- 
tina fed  by  the  Angels.  — St.  Christina  thrown  into  the  Lake  of  Bolsena.  — 
The  Virgin,  St.  Joseph  and  several  Saints.  — The  Virgin  and  St.  Dominique. 

— St.  Christina  before  the  False  Gods.  — The  Annunciation.  — The  Coro- 
nation of  the  Virgin.  — Isaiah.  — Ezechiel.  — The  Battle  of  Cursolari.  — 
The  Flagellation  of  St.  Christina.  — The  Angels  of  the  Passion.  — Jesus 
and  the  two  Thieves. 

VENICE  (DUCAL  PALACE):  The  Triumph  of  Venice.  — The  Rape  of 
Europa.  — Peace  and  Justice. 

ASOLO  (VILLA  BARBARO):  Fresco  Decorations. 

ROME  (VATICAN):  St.  Helena. 

FLORENCE  (UFFIZZI  GALLERY):  Esther  before  Ahasuerus.  — Portrait 
of  a Man.  — Jesus  Crucified.  — Prudence,  Hope,  and  Love.  — The  Annun- 
ciation to  the  Virgin.  — The  Martyrdom  of  St.  Justine.  — The  Martyrdom 
of  St.  Catherine.  — The  Madonna  and  the  Infant  Jesus  (Sketch).  — Study 
for  a St.  Paul.  — Gentleman  in  a white  Robe  (Sketch).  — Holy  Family 
with  St.  Catherine. 

FLORENCE  (PITTI  PALACE) : Portrait  of  Veronese’s  Wife.  — Portrait  of 
Daniele  Barbaro.  — The  Baptism  of  Christ.  — Portrait  of  a Child.  — 
Christ  taking  leave  of  His  Mother. 

BERGAMO  (CARRARA  ACADEMY):  Reunion  in  a Garden.  — Episode 
from  the  Life  of  St.  Catherine. 

TURIN  (ROYAL  MUSEUM):  Magdalen  washing  the  Feet  of  Christ.— 
Moses  saved  from  the  Waters. 

NAPLES  (NATIONAL  MUSEUM):  The  Circumcision. 


VERONESE 


75 

GENOA  (DORIA  PALACE) : Susannah  and  the  Elders.  — The  same  Subject. 

— Allegorical  Figures. 

MODENA  (ROYAL  GALLERY  OF  ESTE):  St.  Peter  and  St.  Paul.  — Por- 
trait of  Veronese.  — A Captain. 

MILAN  (BRERA  MUSEUM) : The  Feast  at  the  House  of  the  Pharisee.  — 
The  Adoration  of  the  Magi.  — The  Last  Supper.  — The  Baptism  of  Christ. 

— St.  Gregory  and  St.  Jerome  Glorified.  — St.  Ambrose  and  St.  Augustine 
Glorified.  — Christ  on  the  Mount  of  Olives.  — St.  Anthony,  St.  Cornelius 
and  St.  Cyprian. 

BELGIUM 

BRUSSELS  (ROYAL  MUSEUM):  The  Adoration  of  the  Magi.  — The  Holy 
Family  with  St.  Theresa  and  St.  Catherine.  — Juno  lavishing  her  Treasures 
on  Venice. 

SPAIN 

MADRID  (MUSEUM  OF  THE  PRADO) : Four  Portraits  of  Women  of  Rank. 

— Calvary.  — The  Woman  taken  in  Adultery.  — Magdalen  Repentant.  — 
Venus  and  Adonis.  — Jesus  and  the  Centurion.  — The  Infant  Jesus,  St. 
Lucia  and  St.  Sebastian.  — The  Martyrdom  of  St.  Genesius.  — Jesus  in 
the  Midst  of  the  Doctors.  — Cain  wandering  with  his  Family.  — The  Sacri- 
fice of  Abraham.  — The  Adoration  of  the  Magi.  — Moses  saved  from  the 
Waters.  — Portrait  of  a Venetian  Woman  in  Mourning.  — Young  Man 
between  Vice  and  Virtue.  — Susannah  and  the  two  Elders. 

GERMANY 

DRESDEN  (GALLERY) : Christ  on  the  Cross.  — Moses  saved  from  the 
Waters.  — The  Rape  of  Europa.  — The  Wedding  at  Cana  (reduced  size).  — 
Christ  and  the  two  Thieves.  — The  Good  Samaritan.  — The  Adoration  of 


VERONESE 


76 

the  Magi.  — Portraits  of  Daniele  Barbaro  (replica).  — The  Presentation  at 
the  Temple.  — Christ  cures  the  Servant  of  Caharnaum.  — Jesus  carrying 
the  Cross.  — The  Resurrection  of  Christ.  — The  Adoration  of  the  Virgin. 
BERLIN  (MUSEUM) : Jupiter,  Fortune  and  Germany.  — Mars  and  Minerva. 

— Apollo  and  Juno.  — Jupiter,  Juno,  Cybile  and  Neptune.  — Christ  and  the 
two  Angels.  — Four  canvases  representing  Geniuses.  — Saturn  and  Ol5mipe. 

MUNICH  (PINACOTHEK) : Faith  and  Religion.  — The  Death  of  Cleopatra. 

— Woman  taken  in  Adultery.  — Portrait  of  a Woman.  — Justice  and 
Prudence.  — The  Rest  in  Egypt.  — Love  holding  chained  Dogs.  — A 
Mother  and  three  Children.  — Strength  and  Temperance.  — Holy  Family. 

— The  Cure  of  the  Servant  of  Caharnaum. 

AUSTRIA 

VIENNA  (BELVEDERE):  The  Rape  of  Dejanire.  — Catherine  Comaro. — 
Christ  and  the  Woman  taken  in  Adultery.  — Christ  and  the  Samaritan 
Woman.  — The  Adoration  of  the  Magi.  — The  Marriage  of  St.  Catherine.  — 
The  Resurrection.  — St.  Nicholas.  — Quintus  Curtius  throwing  himself 
into  the  Chasm.  — Portrait  of  Marco  Antonio  Barbaro.  — Young  Man 
caressing  a Dog.  — Annunciation  to  the  Virgin.  — Adam  and  Eve  and  their 
First-bom.  — Venus  and  Adonis.  — St.  Sebastian.  — The  Death  of  Lucrece. 

— St  John  the  Baptist.  — Judith.  — Christ  entering  the  House  of  Zaira.  — 
St.  Catherine  and  St.  Barbara  present  two  Nuns  to  the  Virgin  and  the  Infant 
Jesus. 


SWEDEN 

STOCKHOLM  (NATIONAL  MUSEUM):  The  Circumcision.  — Magdalen. 
— A Holy  Family.  — A Madonna. 


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77 


RUSSIA 

ST.  PETERSBURG  (HERMITAGE):  The  Flight  into  Egypt.  — The  Adora- 
tion of  the  Magi.  — Holy  Family.  — Diana  and  Minerva.  — Mars  and 
Venus.  — Portrait  of  a Man.  — Lazarus  and  the  Rich  Man.  — Christ  in 
the  midst  of  the  Doctors.  ( — The  Dead  Christ  upheld  by  the  Virgin  and  an 
Angel.  — The  Marriage  of  St.  Catherine.  — Various  Sketches. 

LEUCHTEMBERG  GALLERY : The  Adoration  of  the  Magi.  — The  Widow 
of  the  Spanish  Ambassador  at  Venice  presenting  her  Son  to  Philip  II. 


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